I would have to agree, we have a 5 x 4 master tile shower and we put an insert in just to prevent any problems down the road I’m very happy with it

In the house I just sold, I had a large shower in the master with a tiled floor, and my daughter's bathroom had a smaller shower with a tray. Hers was so much easier to clean! I was constantly cleaning the grout in my tile floor, and all she had to do was squeegee, wipe, and done. Hers looked nice too! Over time, I think my tile floor started to look dated whereas her all white floor still looked fresh.

Add me to the list of not adding to the expense. Yes it looks nicer, but....it’s a bathroom. My feeling is to spend the money on the common areas that everyone, family and guests. will use and see daily.

@User, would you consider sharing a photo? Definitely leaning toward a tray.

I used to have tile on my shower floor. After many years, while renovating the kitchen directly underneath, we discovered water damage caused by the shower pan having completely rusted almost to dust. I replaced it with a preformed tray. It is not fancy, but it does the trick, and it is easier to clean than the tile had been. The shower was not a standard size - the closest tray I could find was slightly smaller than my shower & my contractor suggested that he could build a ledge to compensate for the lost floor space. I love the ledge and the loss of a few inches was well worth it!

Having just cleaned my fancy small tiled shower floor, I see the appeal of a tray. Some things are hard to do on a certain level house but in your case, go with the tray.

Yes - they are expensive because there is a whole lot of labor going to slope and waterproof the tile floor. A certain level of labor too. I have built them myself using Kerdi but even that was several hundred dollars in addition to the tile work.

I would suspect $2000 for an average shower in an average market. Could easily be double with a builder or HCOLA.

I recently remodeled and opted for tile floors.

In my experience it really isn't the choice of materials that drive up the cost - it is the skilled labor - especially the skilled labor that is required to build a waterproof tiled shower. The cost of my tiles (which were on the higher end) were not a huge factor in the expense of the bathroom remodel and I would not have saved a huge amount if I had opted for less expensive materials. Of course my understanding is that builders charge an obscene amount for upgrades because of the purchasing and pricing business model but that is a separate issue.

I don't have issues with maintenance of my tiled shower - it is Calacatta basketweave tile as is the bathroom floor.

It is really solely an issue of aesthetics and not function in my opinion. Tiled shower floors are more beautiful and are considered to be more upscale. Is the rest of your house more or less builder grade? What are the other homes like in the development/neighborhood?

@JJ Mekia

A tile floor certainly looks richer and might be expected in the master at a certain "price level", but I don't think anyone perceives a tray as cheap. Many people might even prefer it since it's less maintenance/cleaning.

I think it depends on the level of finishes in the rest of the house

@User, thank you for posting the photo. Your shower looks great! I wonder if you can use a tray like this if you want to do a curbless shower? That would be my preference since this will be my "age in place" home.

There is likely no tray designed for curbless. Partly why I have tile. The funny part about it is that "age in place" does not jive well with "on knees, scrubbing grout"...

But, I do suspect, most shower tile floors are cleaned by someone other than home owner. After years of that, I just prefer not having someone else in my house for hours...

I originally wanted a curbless tiled floor but in the end went with a cast iron Kohler tray. I have no regrets. It looks very upscale, is easy to clean, and would actually be easy to work a wheelchair into if that circumstance presented itself.

@David Cary, lol, good point. I'm really torn between a tray with a low curb and a curbless. Really don't relish the idea of cleaning floor grout. I recently injured my knee and couldn't get my injured leg over a curb for about a week without some fancy maneuvering. Well placed grab bars would probably have been a big help.

Tile floors are amazing, but costly. Nothing wrong with a tray, especially since you wont be spending a lot of time cleaning it up!

@JJ Mekai, My husband just had a total knee replacement and did fine getting in and out, it’s a very small curb

Am I understanding that you all are saying that the tile shower floor is the more expensive option? I know it looks nicer/fancier, but I hate cleaning my current 2" tile floor in my current bathroom (with white grout, noooo!). From one contractor and maybe some reading here, I have gathered that maybe putting in the tray isn't the easiest either? Having the drain at just the right spot and getting the leveling right? Have you found this to be so?

@bungalowdawn Tile showers including tiled shower floors are more expensive to install but are considered to be more upscale. There is a cost of materials of course but the major factor is the cost of a skilled tile setter and other tradespeople in order to build a shower correctly - they have to be sloped correctly as well as being waterproof.

I haven't found maintenance of my shower to be difficult as my grout blends into the color of my Calacatta marble tiles. If anything needs to be scrubbed after about 3 years of use I don't see it. My bathroom is not damp so there isn't any mold or mildew. Worse case scenario is hiring someone professional to reseal the tiles and scrub the grout - my building does that periodically for the common area.

In terms of aging in place, almost every senior can get their leg over a low curb especially with a well placed grab bar at the entry point to aid balance.